Emma Gilmour has elected to round off her 2025 rally season by contesting some exciting events in New Zealand and abroad.
The Dunedin rally driver will not enter the next round of the NZ Rally Championship the Gold Rush Rally of Coromandel on 23 August and has signed up for the Ashley Forest Rallysprint instead, over the 20 – 21 September weekend. She drove in the iconic Canterbury event for the first time last year in her Vantage Windows and Doors Citroen C3 rally car and relished the challenge of breaking the minute barrier at the tricky 1.7km hillclimb.
“I loved my debut at Ashley Forest and gave it everything to clock a 0:59.10sec time in the top 8 shootout. It was a last-minute decision to enter and I ended up fifth overall and won the Rally 4WD Class, which was a real bonus.”
The following month Emma will team up with Australian co-driver Ben Searcy to contest the fifth round of the NZ Rally Championship, the one-day Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty on 11 October in her C3.
November will see her and Searcy join forces again but this time on his side of the ditch, when Emma returns to Australia for her first rally there since 2009. She will compete in the final round of the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), the Rally of Tasmania, over the 7-9 November weekend.
Emma will lease the Perth-based Maximum Motorsport Skoda Fabia R5. It is a proven charger with Swedish rally driver Tom Kristensson achieving a podium result in it at the ARC’s Forest Rally in Western Australia earlier this year.
The team has taken Subaru Australia driver Dean Herridge to three Australian Privateer Championships, scored WRC points, an outright Australian Championship win, an Australian Tarmac Championship, and podiums at various tarmac events, including Targa Tasmania. The team also currently runs Australian rally driver Scott Pedder in the latest Skoda Fabia RS.
“I feel fortunate to have an on-the-ground knowledgeable team supplying my rally car for this event. Combined with Ben’s experience rallying in Australia, it will give me a leg up rallying in Tasmania for the first time,” Emma says.
“I’m so excited to have such a cool variety of events to round off the 2025 season. Rally Tasmania will be a real highlight—competing against some of Australia’s best drivers and experiencing the Tasmanian stages for the first time. It’s a shame to miss the final NZRC round in Whangārei, but the chance to jump into a competitive car with a great team and return to the ARC was too good to pass up. Everyone raves about the roads in Tasmania, so I can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about!”
Dean says Maximum Motorsport is thrilled to have Emma join the team for the final round of the Australian Rally Championship.
“Emma is a quality driver with a heap of experience, so we’re excited to see how she enjoys the Skoda and the Tassie roads. It’s fantastic to see her back in the ARC and she’ll no doubt be a fan favourite and is a great addition to the field.
“Adding another high-calibre international driver like Emma strengthens the entry list and highlights the quality of the ARC.”
Emma thanks her sponsors and supporters for backing her over the 2025 season.
“We appreciate the opportunity to pivot away from our plan to solely compete in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship to finish off the year with some incredible events at home and overseas!”
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